


You Can Never Go Wrong with a Quiff (unless you’re Steven Finn)

by amy_broad



Category: Cricket RPF
Genre: Banter, Fluff, Haircuts, Hero Worship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-18
Updated: 2014-02-18
Packaged: 2018-01-12 23:08:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1203937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amy_broad/pseuds/amy_broad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Steven Finn admires Jade Dernbach's haircut so much that he decides it's the best way to win over his hero, Stuart Broad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Can Never Go Wrong with a Quiff (unless you’re Steven Finn)

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I had lingering around in my documents that I'd never actually finished properly, and then broadyugh asked me to write some Brinn. So I pulled this out of the depths of my computer.  
> Again, most of this was made up whilst I was sat watching the 2010/11 Ashes DVD, so my sanity could affect how much sense it makes.   
> Thanks to Steve Finn, for being so adorably easy to take the piss out of, and also to Graeme Swann for filming the footage that inspired this.

Steven Finn is sulking. Yes, that’s right. Full on, moping in the corner of a room with his arms crossed and bottom lip quivering. It’s a secret talent of his, sulking. It’s been practiced well, and honed to the point where he knows the exact perfect pout. He doesn’t have any idea how long he’s been curled up with his knees to his chest, but he doesn’t care either. Steve is as stubborn as a two-year-old child and is determined to stay put until someone notices his behaviour. Unfortunately for the lanky bowler, no one particularly cares – so he’s left there.   
On the other side of the room, Jade Dernbach is leaning against the countertop, a can of Carling in one hand. His white shirt is unbuttoned at the top, revealing the delicate inking that swirls across his chest. An easy grin is spread across his tanned face, and he almost oozes confidence. Beside him, Stuart Broad is perched on the counter, swinging his long legs as if he’s some cheerful little child. As always, Steve observes, Stuart’s light blue eyes are sparkling as he laughs, and the stubble he’s recently grown is golden and perfect on his neck. The two men counteract each other incredibly – one dark and handsome, rebellious with his splattering of tattoos, the other tall and blonde with bright eyes and a crooked grin. Steve feels increasingly self conscious the longer he stares at his two teammates. He lifts a hand to rub the bump of his nose anxiously, silently wishing he was blessed with natural good looks. When he looks back over the room, his eyes are again drawn to the brunette and his smooth self assurance. Jade’s hair is perfectly sculpted into an effortless brown quiff, as usual, and Stuart picks up on this, running his hand through it.   
“Liking the hair, Jadey,” he says, with that charming smile that has Steve weak at the knees. Well it would do, if he wasn’t sat on the floor. Which was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, now that he thought about it.   
Upon seeing Jade shoot one of his dazzling grins back at Stuart, Steve’s heart sinks even further. ‘Why is Jade so much cooler than me?’ he wonders to himself. ‘Why is Jade so much more interesting than me?’ There are no answers, and Steve just groans silently, resting his head on his knees and closing his eyes. He can still hear Jade – overconfident and cocky as always – and Stuart conversing. He listens closer, and sure enough, there is Stuart’s light-hearted, playful laugh. ‘Why is Jade so much funnier than me?’ It’s such a beautiful laugh, thinks Steve, and that just makes him feel worse. ‘Why can’t I make Stu laugh like that?’ He’s said multiple times, in interviews and elsewhere, that Stuart Broad is his hero. And he’s still becoming accustomed with the fact that they’re playing on the same team together. It’s kind of a big thing, for a lanky bowler from Middlesex. Jade is new though, as well, but he’s made an impact. He got into the T20 team, and stayed there, whilst Steve still lingers in the fringes of every team he plays for. ‘Why is Jade so much more talented than me?’ he wonders sadly. Though he’s sure he’d bowl a lot better if he didn’t spend so much time staring at Stuart in his whites. It wasn’t his fault that the man looked so beautiful in them, was it? The blonde especially suited the deep red of their limited overs kit, Steve had noted, and so therefore spent a lot of his time observing the bowler’s physique in those games, too. No wonder he’d been going at 7 an over. Especially when he was fielding at mid on, and had a perfect view of Stuart’s butt as he bowled.   
Steve plucks up the courage to glance across the room again, only to wish that he hadn’t. His beloved Stuart and the rebellious Jade are getting more than a little flirtatious, and Steve only feels even sicker as he watches them. His face takes the droopy expression of a sad puppy as he watches the scene unfold. Admittedly, the corner of the room was getting rather uncomfortable – he’s been sat there for a few hours and gosh, his back is going to stiffen up when he eventually stops sulking and goes back to his own room. When Stuart reaches out to loop an arm around Jade’s tanned, muscular shoulders, Steve sighs quietly to himself. He allows his eyes to wander, and however devoted he is to the blonde, he finds himself observing Jade’s perfectly styled hair with a tinge of desire. It’s so brown, so deep brown, and so fluffy; Steve can only imagine how soft it is to touch. ‘Maybe that’s why Stuart loves messing about with it so much?’ he wonders longingly. Steve drags a hand through his own mop of brown hair sadly, pretending it’s Stuart with his strong yet loving caress. Not as if Steve had ever experienced such from his teammate though. Only dreamt about it. ‘Imagine if I had hair like that,’ he thinks to himself. ‘Imagine Stuart saying he loved my hair, running his fingers through it gently. Imagine him pulling me close, and whispering to me. Saying he loves me, and so many more beautiful things. How happy I’d be!’ Okay, so Steve gets a bit carried away with his daydream, and doesn’t realise he’s staring wistfully at the two bowlers until one of them realises.   
“Hey Finny? Whatcha doing over there, mate?”   
Unfortunately, it isn’t the sweet, caring blonde he was hoping had noticed him. ‘Dream on, Finny,’ he tells himself dejectedly. Instead, Jade Dernbach raises an eyebrow artfully as he surveys Steve’s defensive posture. Steve took the opportunity, now that he’d been found, to stretch his long, awkward legs. Admittedly, they’d been curled up for hours and he was beginning to feel like a plank of wood. There’d be some sort of sarcastic comment that he’s a thick as a plank of wood too, if Swanny was around, but he isn’t. Steve silently thanks the cricket gods. There’s no comment made after all – maybe Tendulkar answered his hopeful prayers - and the brunette just turns his attention back to Stuart, taking another long drink from his can of beer. With each laugh and playful tease that is shared between the two, Steve gets more and more desperate. When Stuart reaches out once again to ruffle Jade’s dark quiff, he finally comes to a decision.   
‘I’m going to get my hair cut like Jade’s,’ he tells himself. ‘Then, Stuart will love me.’ 

***

The next afternoon, an optimistic Steven Finn skips into the bathrooms to take a first look at his brand new hairstyle. He’d just gotten back from the hairdressers that morning without even daring to look in the mirror – he wanted it to be a proper surprise. Running a hand through his hair, he grins to himself. There’s no longer a mop of brown tangles framing his face: all he feels is soft, spiky hair. Steve is sure it’ll look fantastic, and sure it’ll win Stuart over in a heartbeat. ‘Forget about Jade now,’ Steve thinks to himself proudly. ‘I’m just as good looking.’   
Hopefully, he looks into the mirror, and is pretty pleased with what he sees. He admires the way his floppy brown hair now sticks up in a sort of faux hawk, and he loves the way it makes his nose look just that little bit smaller. Yes, he’s always been self conscious about his nose. But now...now, he’s as confident as anyone! Steve smiles to himself, taking one last moment to arrange his hair so that it’s perfect, and practically struts up to Stuart’s hotel room.   
He’ll happily admit that he’s nervous when he knocks on the door. All of his new self confidence suddenly seems to disappear. ‘What if he doesn’t like it?’ Steve wonders. ‘What if he still prefers Jade?’ The bowler eyes his skinny form and pale, un-inked skin with a worried expression. ‘Does that mean I’ve got to buy fake tan and spend a fortune on flash tattoos?’ Pushing all thoughts of becoming a Jade-impersonator to the back of his mind, Steve crosses his fingers behind his back as Stuart opens the door. The expression on the blonde’s face is first one of confusion, and then of amusement, which disheartens Steve slightly.   
“What the hell have you done to your hair?” Stuart laughs, which just makes Steve self consciously brush the tip of his quiff back with his fingers.   
“I thought you’d like it...” Steve mumbles, upset. He gazes up at Stuart, his cricketing hero, with hopeful eyes. “...I did it for you.”  
Hearing these words makes Stuart stop in his tracks. Curiously, he eyes Steve up and down, his eyes finally resting on that optimistic face. “You what?” he asks, partly because he wants to know, and mostly because he can’t think of anything else to say. If he’s being quite honest. Steve looks awkward just stood at the door, so Stuart just shakes his head and lets him inside.   
‘What have I done wrong?’ Steve thinks to himself sadly as he trots after Stuart like a little puppy. The two bowlers settle on opposite ends of the sofa, and Steve curls up into a ball, glancing over at the blonde nervously as if he’s going to attack him. ‘Why doesn’t he like it? It’s all my fault.’ Steve decides miserably.   
“You what?” Stuart repeats, gesturing to Steve’s hair. He’s trying to keep a straight face, but he still can’t help laughing a little bit. The brunette sighs, crossing his arms over his chest.   
“I did it for you...” he says again, hiding his face from the blonde by burying it into his knees. “You liked Jade’s....so I thought it might make you like me more.” Saying it out loud makes Steve realise how stupid he sounds, and he curses himself for it. Still, what’s done is done, he tells himself sadly. Now Stuart will never want to talk to him again – he’ll think that Steve is pathetic and silly for having a crush on him.   
“Are you telling me what I think you’re telling me?” Stuart asks gently, sensing that it’s an awkward topic for Steve. He reaches over to ruffle the man’s hair, trying to coax him into looking up. “Huh, Finny?” he says. When Steve finally looks up, he’s met with a small smile from Stuart, who shuffles just that bit closer so that they’re side by side.   
“...you’re really pretty...” mumbles Steve. “...I really like you...um....yeah.”   
“You do?” asks Stuart.   
“...um...yeah,” Steve says. “...if you hate me now its okay...I can just leave...” He gets up to walk out of the room, hanging his head dejectedly. But just as he’s about to walk away, someone grabs his hand. He knows its Stuart, because although he’s not the cleverest of people, they’re the only two in the room. Steve lets himself get hopeful because Stuart’s hand is so warm around his; it just feels so perfect to finally hold the man he’s loved for so long – even if it’s just his hand. You’ve got to start somewhere, right?   
“I don’t hate you, Finny,” Stuart begins, squeezing Steve’s hand comfortingly. The taller man turns around nervously, and suddenly they’re face to face again. The next words which fall from the blonde’s mouth are a gentle whisper – they’re a breath away from kissing and Steve notices every detail of Stuart’s beautiful face as he speaks.“I love you too. Stupid haircut and all.”   
Steve smiles – he can’t help it – and Stuart takes this as an opportunity to slide his hands around the man’s waist, drawing their bodies together. The brunette lets out a contented sigh as he rests his head on Stuart’s shoulder.   
“The haircut was worth it, I guess,” he mutters with a giggle.  
Even Stuart is smiling as they kiss for the first time.


End file.
